Governor General's Awards Recognize Five Canadian Women Marking the 84th Anniversary of the Persons Case

OTTAWA, Oct. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - The Honourable Dr. K. Kellie Leitch,
Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women, is pleased to
announce the names of five Canadian women being presented with a 2013 Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. The awards honour those who have made outstanding contributions to the
quality of life for women in Canada.

"We owe a debt of gratitude to the Famous Five who successfully persevered in an effort to strengthen women's rights
in Canada," said Minister Leitch. "Today, we honour the generations of
women who have followed in their footsteps to bring equality to women
and girls."

This year's recipients are:

Constance Backhouse - Ottawa, Ontario

Nahanni Fontaine - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Susan Shiner - St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

Julie Lalonde - Ottawa, Ontario (Youth Recipient)

Cherry Smiley - Vancouver, British Columbia (Youth Recipient)

Persons Day is celebrated annually during Women's History Month, and marks a pivotal moment in Canadian history when, on October 18,
1929, five Canadian women - Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards,
Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Nellie McClung - fought and won the
right for women to be legally recognized as 'persons' in Canada.

The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case were created in 1979 to mark the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking
Persons Case. Each year, five recipients are chosen from across Canada to receive the
award. This year marks the 34th year of the awards, which will be
presented at Rideau Hall on Tuesday, October 29, 2013.

Backgrounder

RECIPIENTS OF THE 2013 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S AWARDS IN COMMEMORATION OF THE
PERSONS CASE

Constance Backhouse

Constance Backhouse is not only a brilliant scholar, she is an activist,
teacher, mentor, and leader. Her unshakeable commitment to gender
equality and social justice has helped to make Canada a better place
for women and girls. As Canada's pre-eminent feminist legal historian,
Professor Backhouse focuses her scholarly work on telling stories of
women and other oppressed groups, exposing inequalities, promoting
understanding and facilitating change. As a speaker at countless
Persons Day events, she has brought to life the "Famous Five" women
behind the success of the Persons Case. Professor Backhouse has
achieved the highest levels of academic success, as exemplified by the
many prestigious awards she has received. Indeed, she may be the first
explicitly feminist scholar in Canada to receive this kind and level of
recognition for her scholarship. In this respect, her achievements are
ground-breaking, advancing equality for women and bringing positive
recognition of women's position in academia. She has helped establish
and served in a large number of women's organizations and projects,
including the Women's Education and Research Foundation, (co-founder),
the Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), the London Battered Women's
Advocacy Clinic, and the Feminist History Society (co-founder). A noted
author, Professor Backhouse has worked to strengthen laws addressing
violence against women, and helped generations of students to
understand the roots of discrimination on the basis of race, gender and
inequality. Constance Backhouse lives in Ottawa.

Nahanni Fontaine

Nahanni Fontaine is the Special Advisor on Aboriginal Women's Issues for
the Aboriginal Issues Committee of Cabinet of Manitoba, with particular
focus on Missing & Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls. Ms. Fontaine
has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg in
Environmental Studies and International Development, and a Masters of
Arts degree in Native Studies, Women's Studies and Critical Theory from
the University of Manitoba. Ms. Fontaine is respected across Canada for
advocating for action on missing and murdered Aboriginal women and
girls. As head of Manitoba's Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and
Girls Strategy, she spearheaded several campaigns, including four
annual Wiping Away the Tears gatherings for families of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and
girls. Her innovative approach has helped build greater awareness about
violence against Aboriginal women. In 2013, Ms. Fontaine organized the
third National Aboriginal Women's Summit, which included the first-ever
national healing and honour ceremony for the families. Ms. Fontaine
campaigns tirelessly to bring to light the stories of missing and
murdered Aboriginal women and girls. For two decades, she has attended
every rally, vigil and funeral. Ms. Fontaine has built relationships
between the families, government and policing agencies. She is
tremendously effective at the grassroots level, supporting women with
housing, employment, clothing, food, transportation, baby supplies,
etc. Ms. Fontaine is Ojibway from Sagkeeng First Nation and lives in
Winnipeg.

Susan Kathryn Shiner

As a teenager in the 1960s, Susan became aware of incidents of
inequality and has worked for social change ever since. In 1972, Susan
moved from Ontario to Newfoundland and Labrador to teach school. Since
1985, she has been involved with the St. John's Status of Women Council
and the St. John's Women's Centre, serving as a board and committee
member. From 1987-2000, while she was the Children's Services
Counsellor at Iris Kirby House, a St. John's shelter, she developed
innovative programs for child witnesses of violence. Since 2000, she
has been the Family Services Co-ordinator at Daybreak Parent Child
Centre, where discussions of equality are daily topics as she offers
support, advocacy and counselling to those involved in Daybreak's
programs. In 1991, Susan received the YMCA Canadian Peace Medal for her
work to create more peaceful homes and communities as a part of
creating a more peaceful world. In 2001, she received the YWCA Women of
Distinction Award for her dedicated service and for highlighting
women's inequality as a root cause of violence against women. Susan has
been an active campaigner for political candidates whose platforms
address issues of inequality. She has always been involved in the
unions in her workplaces and, presently, is on provincial and national
committees of CUPE. Susan and her partner, Rick Page, are the parents
of Claire and Ian Page-Shiner.

Julie Lalonde (Youth Recipient)

Julie Lalonde has made a real difference in improving the lives of women
and girls through her work to end sexual assault and sexual harassment.
She is a graduate student at Carleton University, where she studies the
impact of poverty and isolation on elderly women. Ms. Lalonde
co-chaired the Miss G Project for Equity in Education (Ottawa chapter),
successfully lobbying for a new curriculum on gender equality for
Ontario high schools. As a young professional, she developed and
manages "Draw the Line," the Province of Ontario's anti-sexual violence
public education campaign. She has also worked as project manager and
as a volunteer with the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International
Action (FAFIA). She founded the first Canadian chapter of Hollaback!, an innovative new online tool for ending sexual harassment. For the
past seven years, she has been an active volunteer with the Sexual
Assault Support Centre of Ottawa. She hosts a weekly feminist radio
program on Ottawa-based community radio station CHUO. Shortlisted for
the 2009 YWCA Women of Distinction Award and winner of the 2011 Femmy
Award for strengthening women's equality in the National Capital
Region, Ms. Lalonde is an extraordinary franco-Ontarian. Her dedication
exemplifies how young Canadians can be outstanding leaders in making
their own communities safer and more equitable places for women and
men. Julie Lalonde lives in Ottawa.

Cherry Smiley (Youth Recipient)

Cherry Smiley is a dedicated young woman, deeply committed to
strengthening safety and social justice for women and girls. From the
Nlaka'pamux (Thompson) and Dine' (Navajo) nations, Cherry is an
emerging leader among Aboriginal women in Canada. She is an
internationally recognized speaker on gender equality issues,
presenting at key gatherings around the world. Her determination to
create awareness about violence against Aboriginal women and girls is
apparent in her many volunteer commitments, as well as in her ability
to educate through art. Since 2008, Ms. Smiley has been involved with
Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter, where she provides support,
information, and advocacy to women and girls who have experienced male
violence. From 2008 to 2011, she volunteered with the Aboriginal
Women's Action Network. In 2012, she co-facilitated the Sisterwork
program at the Urban Native Youth Association, engaging young
Aboriginal women and girls in discussing violence, creating art and
giving presentations to local communities. Ms. Smiley is in the Masters
of Fine Arts Program at Simon Fraser University, where she was awarded
the inaugural Graduate Aboriginal Entrance Scholarship (Masters). She
co-founded Indigenous Women against the Sex Industry, a volunteer group
that works to educate the public about prostitution as an expression of
colonialism and male violence and that works to abolish prostitution
through progressive social policy. Cherry Smiley lives on Coast Salish
territories in Vancouver.